BREAKING: Maine House passes marriage bill!
May 5, 2009
BREAKING: The Maine State House of Representatives voted 89 to 58 this afternoon in favor of legislation that would permit same-sex couples to marry under state law. The State Senate passed the measure last week. It appears that the legislation passed by the House today will face a final vote in the House and Senate before the legislation can be sent to Governor Baldacci's desk for his signature. Governor Baldacci has not indicated whether he will sign the measure, which would make Maine the fifth state in the country to allow same-sex couples to legally marry. Joe Solmonese issued this statement today:
The march towards marriage equality for all loving, committed couples continues across this country. Today, Maine joins the growing list of states who have voted to grant marriage equality to same-sex couples. It’s becoming increasingly clear that legislators across the nation understand that it’s simply the right thing to do. We congratulate Speaker of the House Hannah Pingree for her championing of this legislation and Equality Maine for its great work in building support for equality. We urge Maine Governor John Baldacci to sign this bill into law and unequivocally place Maine on the right side of history.
HRC's Jeremy Kennedy has been on the ground in Maine for the past four months working with Equality Maine to build support for the marriage legislation. Maine currently provides same-sex couples with access to limited rights and benefits through a domestic partner registry.
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